Colin Healy

Colin Healy (born 14 March 1980) is an Irish retired footballer who played as a midfielder.[3]

Colin Healy
Healy playing for Cork City in 2007
Personal information
Full name Colin Healy[1]
Date of birth (1980-03-14) 14 March 1980
Place of birth Cork, Ireland
Height 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m)[2]
Position(s) Midfielder
Youth career
1997 Ballincollig and Wilton United
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1998–2003 Celtic 30 (1)
2002–2003 → Coventry City (loan) 17 (2)
2003–2006 Sunderland 20 (0)
2006 Livingston 9 (2)
2006–2007 Barnsley 8 (0)
2006 → Bradford City (loan) 2 (0)
2007–2009 Cork City 62 (22)
2009–2011 Ipswich Town 20 (2)
2010 → Falkirk (loan) 19 (1)
2012–2017 Cork City 110 (5)
Total 297 (15)
National team
1998–1999 Republic of Ireland U18
2002–2003 Republic of Ireland 13 (1)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only

He started his senior career at Celtic, spending five years with the Scottish club before joining English side Sunderland in 2003, where he spent three years. He returned to Scotland in 2006 to sign for Livingston. After a short spell with Livingston he returned to England to join Barnsley. After leaving Barnsley in 2007, he joined Irish side Cork City, where he spent two years before joining English side Ipswich Town. He spent two years with Ipswich before returning to the Republic of Ireland to sign for former club Cork City. Healy represented the Republic of Ireland at youth and senior level. He made his senior debut for his country in 2002, going on to win 13 caps, scoring once.

Club career

Early career

Healy was born in Ballincollig, County Cork. He came from a sporting family, with his grandfather Paddy Healy having been a Gaelic footballer and hurler who won All-Ireland Senior Football Championship and All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship medals with the Cork inter-county football and hurling teams respectively in 1945 and 1946.[4] Healy played local soccer with Ballincollig and then Wilton United. He attended the FAS/FAI course in Cork run by former Celtic and Cork City midfielder Mike Conroy and from here he was taken to Celtic Park. He would go on to score three goals for Celtic, his first coming in a league game against Dundee in February 2000.[5] His other two goals came in Scottish League Cup ties against Hearts and Stirling Albion.[6][7] With Celtic he won a Scottish League Cup medal, playing in the team that beat Kilmarnock 3–0 at Hampden on 18 March 2001.[8]

Sunderland

Sunderland succeeded in signing Healy from Celtic in 2003. In December 2003 he broke his leg in a match against a former loan club, Coventry City after a challenge by Moroccan international Youssef Safri.

In October 2004, he broke his leg again soon after resuming training with Sunderland. In January 2006, it was announced that Healy's contract with Sunderland had expired, and the midfielder left the club.

Livingston and Barnsley

Healy joined SPL club Livingston on 10 March 2006 until the end of the season. On 10 August 2006 Healy signed a one-year contract with Barnsley. Having made only 10 appearances for Barnsley, he had his contract cancelled by mutual consent.

Cork City and FIFA case

On 20 February 2007 he signed a two-year contract with hometown League of Ireland club Cork City, alongside former international colleague Gareth Farrelly. FIFA ruled both players to be unable to play for the club, citing a rule forbidding players from transferring between clubs more than twice in a 12-month period between July and June. FIFA rejected appeals made by both players. On 1 July 2007 both Healy and Gareth Farrelly became eligible to play for Cork City. On this date, they both played for the club's under-21 team against Lifford of Ennis, Co Clare, winning the game 2–0.

Healy made his full Cork City debut against Bohemians when they were beaten in extra time in the Eircom League Cup Quarter Final held at Dalymount Park on 3 July 2007.

Healy signed a two-year contract for Cork in 2009. In April 2009, Healy scored his first goal for Cork at Tallaght Stadium.[9]

Ipswich Town

On 16 July 2009, it was confirmed that Cork City had accepted a £100,000 bid from Hartlepool United to take Healy and fellow Cork City teammate Denis Behan to Victoria Park, Hartlepool. However, five days later, Hartlepool United manager Chris Turner confirmed that the deal had not happened due to late interest from Ipswich Town. Healy subsequently signed for Ipswich for an undisclosed fee. In January 2010, he signed on-loan with Scottish Premier League club Falkirk.[10] At Falkirk he scored once against Aberdeen.[11]

In February 2011 Healy scored his first goal for the club against Doncaster Rovers.[12] His contract was terminated by mutual consent in November 2011.[13]

In the League Cup Semi-Final 2011 first leg against Arsenal,[14] it was commented that "Colin Healy made Cesc Fabregas look like Colin Healy".[15]

Return to Cork City

In 2013 Healy returned to Cork City on a three-year deal. His most memorable moment came against St Patrick's Athletic in 2014 when he scored a late over head kick against a fellow title rival. He and Cork finished runners up behind Dundalk for three years in a row and Healy lost the 2015 FAI Cup to Dundalk before finally winning a trophy in March 2016 in the Presidents Cup and the 2016 FAI Cup final where he came off the bench and put in a sturdy performance. He retired on the 18th of April 2017.

International career

Healy played and scored a goal against Australia at the FIFA World Youth Championship finals in Nigeria in 1999.[16]

He represented his country at the UEFA U-19 Championship in Sweden in 1999, and won a bronze medal.[17]

During the Saipan incident between Mick McCarthy and fellow Cork man Roy Keane at the 2002 FIFA World Cup, Healy was called upon by McCarthy as the replacement should Keane be dropped from the squad. A succession of changes-of-heart by the Manchester United player led to the call-up being delayed and the deadline passing, with Healy unable to join the World Cup squad.[18][19]

Career statistics

Club
Source:[20]
Appearances and goals by club, season and competition
Club Season League National Cup League Cup Other Total
DivisionAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoalsAppsGoals
Celtic 1998–99 Scottish Premier League 3000000030
1999–00 Scottish Premier League 10110101[lower-alpha 1]0131
2000–01 Scottish Premier League 12000316[lower-alpha 1]0211
2001–02 Scottish Premier League 4010110061
2002–03 Scottish Premier League 1020101[lower-alpha 1]050
Total 301406280483
Coventry City (loan) 2001–02 First Division 1720000—172
Sunderland 2003–04 First Division 200000000200
2004–05 Championship 000000—00
Total 200000000200
Livingston 2005–06 Scottish Premier League 920000—92
Barnsley 2006–07 Championship 800020—100
Bradford City (loan) 2006–07 League One 2020000040
Cork City 2007 Premier Division 180000000180
2008 Premier Division 240000000240
2009 Premier Division 2020000—202
Total 622000000622
Ipswich Town 2009–10 Championship 300020—50
2010–11 Championship 1621050—222
2011–12 Championship 100010—20
Total 202108000292
Falkirk (loan) 2009–10 Scottish Premier League 1910000—191
Cork City 2012 Premier Division 2100000—210
2013 Premier Division 2310000—231
2014 Premier Division 2720000—272
2015 Premier Division 20200002[lower-alpha 2]0222
2016 Premier Division 19000003[lower-alpha 2]0220
Total 11050000501155
Career total 297157016213033317
  1. Appearance(s) in UEFA Cup
  2. Appearances in UEFA Europa League

International
Source:[21]
Appearances and goals by national team and year
National teamYearAppsGoals
Republic of Ireland
200261
200370
Total131

International goals
Source:[21]

Republic of Ireland score listed first, score column indicates score after each Healy goal.

International goals by date, venue, cap, opponent, score, result and competition
No. Date Venue Cap Opponent Score Result Competition
1 21 August 2002Helsinki Olympic Stadium, Helsinki, Finland4 Finland2–03–0Friendly

Honours
Celtic
Cork City
Individual

References
  1. "Colin Healy". Barry Hugman's Footballers. Retrieved 8 March 2017.
  2. "Colin Healy profile". Soccerway. Retrieved 17 June 2020.
  3. Former Celtic midfielder Colin Healy retires from football‚ dailyrecord.co.uk, 18 April 2017
  4. "Cork's comeback kid enjoying his football more than ever". Irish Independent. 19 August 2007.
  5. "Dens Park relief for Dalglish". BBC. 12 February 2000. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  6. "Celtic youngsters see them through". BBC Sport. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  7. "Celts' Maloney mauls Albion". BBC Sport. 6 November 2001. Retrieved 19 April 2020.
  8. "Celtic clinch Cup with Larsson treble". BBC. 18 March 2001. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  9. Match report – Healy's first Goal for Cork Archived 10 September 2012 at Archive.today
  10. "Falkirk sign Ipswich Town's Colin Healy". BBC Sport. 13 January 2010. Retrieved 13 January 2010.
  11. "Aberdeen 0 - 1 Falkirk". BBC. 2 February 2010. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  12. "Doncaster 0 - 6 Ipswich". BBC. 15 February 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  13. "HEALY LEAVES TOWN". Ipswich Town. Archived from the original on 25 November 2011. Retrieved 24 November 2011.
  14. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/league_cup/9342035.stm
  15. https://www.twtd.co.uk/members/chrisswailes/polls/3480/who-said-andquot;colin-healy-made-cesc-fabregas-look-like-colin-healyandquot;
  16. https://www.fifa.com/tournaments/archive/tournament=104/edition=191313/matches/match=31053/report.html
  17. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1999/0717/Pg032.html#Ar03202:22550026B51A
  18. "Healy in call-up nightmare". BBC. 22 May 2002. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  19. "Keane sent home". BBC. 23 May 2002. Retrieved 15 April 2020.
  20. http://www.itfc.co.uk/page/ProfilesDetail/0,,10272~6835,00.html Archived 21 February 2010 at the Wayback Machine
  21. "Colin Healy". National Football Teams. Benjamin Strack-Zimmerman.
  22. "Dundalk dominate PFAI team of the year". RTÉ Sport. 21 October 2014. Retrieved 20 November 2018.
  23. "John O'Shea named Ireland player of the year". RTÉ.ie. RTÉ. 22 March 2015. Retrieved 24 March 2015.
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